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Appeared on: Thursday, April 24, 2014
Updated Apple TV Set For Release In June

Apple's next-generation set-top-box could be unveiled as early as this June and is expected to support Siri-like voice commands along with games console features.

The current Apple TV model plugs into the back of a television set and connects to the internet, launches dedicated apps and enables the streaming of content from other Apple products.

In its latest earnings call on Wednesday, Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, revealed that to date, 20 million Apple TVs have been sold and that it is becoming a key source of revenue, so much so that the company is no longer calling it a hobby.

"The reason that I stripped off the 'hobby label' is that when you look at the sales of the Apple TV box itself and you look at content that was bought directly off the Apple TV, for 2013 that number was over a billion dollars," Cook said. "So it didn't feel right to me to call something that's over a billion a 'hobby.'"

Earlier this week, 9to5Mac uncovered new code in Apple's iOS7.1 operating system that indicates Siri, the company's voice-operated virtual assistant is coming to the Apple TV to improve search and other operational features.

A report in January claimed that the device was also set to get a dedicated games store and motion sensing technology that would enable the box to respond to movement and gestures.

Taking control of the living room via the television looks like it could be one of the defining consumer tech trends of 2014. The Xbox One and the Sony PS4 are both as focused on being digital entertainment hubs and Amazon has unveiled its long-rumored $100 Fire TV set-top box.

At the same time, reports are surfacing that Google is prepping an Android TV set-top-box too.